Last Night On Earth
by toto009
Summary: Castiel visits a lonely hunter the night before their hunt for Lucifer. She didn't ask his company but he was already there. Castiel/OC
1. Chapter 1

The soft sound of wings fluttering enter her dingy motel room. Ignoring the man in the trench coat, she brings her lips to the rim of her bottle of rum. Carelessly, she throws back her head to take another chug. Her midnight hair tumbles down her back, she can feel the waves tickle her bare skin. Michelle closes her eyes as she savors the burning liquor rush down her throat. A familiar warmth radiates from her chest. Her dark lashes become wet as she releases all the air in her lungs.

Castiel clears his throat, letting her know he was in the room. Michelle is ripped out of her moment of solace by the rhythmic beats of his steps. She quickly rubs her eyes in hopes he'd think she was just tired. Michelle opens her eyes, facing the ceiling. Not yet ready to look at the angel.

 _Put on a brave face._

"I thought you hated alcohol." She can hear the frown in his voice. A sad smirk pulls at the corner of her mouth. Deciding she can't avoid eye contact any longer without being rude, she flickers her eyes into his baby blue orbs. She catches herself thinking if his eyes were the last thing she saw before she died, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Sam and Dean's plan to stop Lucifer is short of a miracle. She was a woman of faith but even then she knew it was a pipe dream.

"Last night on Earth. I might as well go out with a bang." The young hunter faked a laugh, quoting the same words Dean had said in Bobby's kitchen before she split. Taking the family photo together with Sam, Dean, Bobby, Ellen, Castiel, and Jo made the end all too real for her. She wouldn't have been able to stay with them any longer without breaking down.

"Yes it is." Castiel curtly agrees, lost in thought. A long silence stretched between them. The only noise came from Michelle's phone, she had a playlist of music playing while she drank. She thought it would make drinking herself into oblivion a tad less depressing. The Rolling Stone's Angie was playing in the background.

Michelle sighed for the millionth time that night. There was no time like the present and if today was her last day then she had to thank Castiel for everything he's done for them. With all the force she could muster she pushed herself off the bed. Michelle quickly lost her footing and felt herself falling. Faster than lightning, he was at her feet and had a firm grip on her bicep. The image of Dean's bare arm with the angel's handprint briefly flashed in her mind. She pondered wryly if he had grabbed her in the same spot he had gripped Dean and raised him from perdition.

"Whoa, thanks." The alcohol rushes to her brain, stunting her thought process for a couple of seconds. She focuses on one of the buttons of Castiel's trench coat in attempt to clear her muddy mind.

"Remember when we spent the night sitting on the impala, talking about anything." Michelle hesitates to ask the angel. Not quite sure why she even brought it up, she waited for his response.

A couple of weeks ago, she was working with Sam and Dean on a case with a witch coven. Bobby asked her to help the Winchesters with the case because she was familiar with their sister coven. It became an easy case once they picked up on the similar patterns between the two. It wasn't her first case with the brothers, she had occasionally joined their hunts while they struggled with hunting down seals to save. Eventually, she had gotten to know Castiel.

On this witch hunt, she shared a room with the brothers for safety measures. Michelle and Sam had taken the two beds while Dean had passed out on the couch. She had spotted Castiel sitting in a spare chair when she came out of the bathroom. She pointed at him to go out the door, not wanting wake the Winchesters from their peaceful sleep. Castiel nodded before vanishing into thin air. Michelle rolled her eyes at his disappearing act. The door was only one or two steps away from him.

"Castiel?" She immediately hugged her hourglass figure as she steps out. A chilling breeze blew past her. She rubs her arms for warmth and berates herself for not wearing something warmer. The oversized t-shirt hardly went past her mid thighs, and her shorts weren't much help either. She spotted Castiel leaning against the trunk of the Impala, facing away from her. Michelle scurried to stand next to him, hoping that maybe his body will shield her from the harsh winds.

"Why do you call me Castiel when we are alone?" Castiel turned away from the stars to look into her deep pools of rich chocolate.

So he had noticed. Michelle had went along with the nickname Cas because everyone was doing it. Whenever it was just the two of them she'd go back to his full name. She liked how his name rolled off her tongue. It was a good name, she saw no reason to shorten it when she didn't have to.

"If it bothers you, I can call you Cas instead." Michelle dodged the question, not wanting to tell him that she thought his name was pretty. God that sounded girly.

"It. . . doesn't bother me." Castiel paused and looked away from her in thought. "When I first asked Dean why he and Sam couldn't call me by my full name, he explained to me that the shortening of names is a display of affection and friendship. Just about every human I know calls me by that name now, except you. " Castiel glanced back at her, making sure she was still following the conversation. She quickly nods, clenching her teeth from chattering.

"Does that mean you do not truly think of me as an ally?" He searched her eyes for an answer. She opened her mouth to answer his ridiculous question. Too consumed with his own conclusions, he interrupts her before she has the chance to reply.

"If you question my intentions, we should discuss your uncertainty with Sam and Dean." He finished with concern sketched on his face.

Michelle blinked. Of course he'd be curious. She forgot he had only recently been interacting with humans. Without the constant poofing in and out of rooms, she'd probably forget he was an angel. Compared to the other angels she's had the displeasure to meet, he was so human.

"No Castiel. I just happen to like your name." Michelle lamely confessed. Castiel tilted his head at her words, a tendency he had when he was intrigued.

"I like the way your name sounds, okay?" She runs her fingers through her hair in frustration, annoyed at her own embarrassment over something so small. A tiny smile appears on his face when he finally understood why she preferred calling him by his given name.

"This isn't why you came to the motel, is it?" Michelle defensively folded her arms, wondering why he had chosen to come visit them at this hour.

"I came here because I didn't have anywhere else to go." He quietly answered. Michelle's jaw dropped. He could travel anywhere in the world and he chose here? If it were her, she'd be half way around the world.

"Did I say something wrong?" Castiel asked noticing her strange behavior.

"Castiel, you could go anywhere. Literally anywhere. Russia, Japan, Peru, or Egypt. I'd jump at the chance to see any country outside of this one." Michelle rants with large hand gestures to emphasis how ridiculous this was.

"I don't see why you came here." She murmured as she folded her arms once again.

"I've watched the world from the beginning. There's no place on this Earth that I haven't seen already." He informed her before looking down at his hands. "Here I can watch over you three. And if I was in Moscow, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Right. I forgot you're ancient." Michelle playfully punches his shoulder. She pretend she can't feel her heart pull at his words. His head snaps up at the touch. She momentarily wondered if she had hit him too hard.

"You're cold. I can feel you shivering from your fist." Castiel scowls at her discomfort. He's more upset by the fact that she chose to hide it from him.

"I'll be fine. If I can handle werewolves and vampires, then I can deal with a little wind." Michelle says off handedly, not wanting to go back into the motel just yet. Her sudden sneeze only increased the wrinkles on the angel's forehead.

Castiel shrugs off his trench coat and silently hands it to her. She accepts it, knowing he wouldn't let her stay out if she refused. Michelle hops on the trunk of the impala once she isn't freezing anymore. An impish grin spreads on her face as she pats the empty space besides her.

"Dean is very protective of this car. You didn't seen him when Sam dropped ketchup on-"

"Are you afraid of Dean?" Amused, she interrupted his excuse. The blank face expression on his face screamed that he indeed was. She covered her mouth with her hand in awe.

"Oh my god you are!" Nonstop laughter bubbles out of her. The vibrations of her body slightly shook the car as she held on to her stomach and tried to inhale air. Castiel cheeks flush at the accusation.

"I am not afraid of Dean. I only want to avoid conflict." He replied flustered. He couldn't fool her and they both knew it.

"Look around Castiel, he's not here. I'm not gonna tell and you're not going to say a word. Now sit next to me or I'm leaving you." She peered at him expectantly, waiting for him to call her bluff. They stared each other down until he dropped his shoulders in defeat.

He sighed before he gingerly scooted next to her. She bit her tongue to stop her victory smile from appearing, not wanting jinx tonight. She's been alone with the angel countless of times, but for only a couple of minutes usually. It was rare that they were able to be alone for this long.

"Tell me about the universe Castiel." Michelle looked up at him, waiting to be amazed. Castiel looked down into the eyes that were filled with child-like wonder. His striking blue eyes softened at the unexpected innocence she carried. Living as a hunter, she should have lost her pure gaze a long time ago. Innocence is a liability for her line of work.

Michelle was captivated listening to him talk from his perspective on the world and universe. The manner in which he spoke about his time observing the world was almost like poetry. She could see how much he truly cared for humanity and other works of God's creation. Bumble bees in particular were his favorite.

In return, Michelle opened up to him about herself and her life as a hunter. She enthusiastically told him about her love for science and how she would have become an astrophysicist if she had not become a hunter. Castiel paid close attention to the few light hearted anecdotes she shared about her life as a hunter. He noticed she always had faith in the good and a strong sense of justice. She even played some of her favorite songs for him from her phone.

They continued to throw words back and forth for hours until Michelle's words began to slur. It wasn't too long before she slumped against his shoulder and fell into a deep slumber. Michelle recalls waking up the next day tucked back into her bed.

Not much changed after that night. In the following weeks they went back to seeing each other only for a handful minutes at a time. If they saw each other at all. When Castiel was able to see her again he made sure to personally greet her every time. Michelle didn't want to admit it to herself because of how stupid it was. But every time he did greet her with his cheesy smile it made her feel special.

Whenever she wasn't there Castiel would ask Sam how she was and if he had spoken to her recently. Somehow he knew constantly asking Dean about a woman would not end well on his behalf. Dean would ask questions. Castiel felt Sam would understand. And he did. However, that didn't stop Sam from paying closer attention to the angel's interactions with the young hunter.

"I've thought about it a couple of times while I was away." Castiel looks down as he smiles fondly at the memory. She suppresses the impulse to kiss his crow's feet. She hardly saw it nowadays, there wasn't any reason to smile this brightly with the apocalypse coming and all. She giggles and sways slightly, dizzy by his presence.

He watches her closely and decides it would be safer to have her sitting than erect. She becomes mute at his touch. He maintains her eye contact while he shuffles her back towards the bed. Castiel lowers her with him onto the edge of the bed. Reminding himself of all the lectures Dean had given him on personal space, he scooted away shortly afterwards.

"Castiel if you wanted to take me to bed, all you had to do is ask." Michelle winks at him and playfully pulls him closer by the edges of his trench coat. His thighs were now touching her exposed, olive thighs. His senses heighten from feeling her body's warmth through the contact. Castiel groans at the flirtation, both in pleasure and in frustration with her. Becoming painfully aware of how tight his pants are, he comes to the decision that it was time for this to end. He couldn't bring himself to putting her to sleep, instead he lowers the alcohol content in her body with a touch to her forehead. She flushes at her own behavior as she comes to.

"I forgot there was a reason why I don't drink." Michelle jokes as she nervously rubs the back of her neck.

"It would be ill advised for you to continue to consume alcohol." Castiel agrees with her, but Michelle can't help to notice that his tone felt more of a command than a suggestion. He also didn't move back to where he was sitting before she yanked him inside her personal bubble.

"Michelle is a beautiful name. The Hebrew origin of the name translates to 'who is like God'." Castiel changes the topic, relieving Michelle from some of her embarrassment. She raises eyebrow at their return to the subject of names.

"It would be a shame to shorten such a name. I guess what I want to say is the feeling is mutual." He glances to her in good humor. She smiles at the compliment.

She didn't want to ruin the mood, but she was never one to dance around the elephant in the room.

"Castiel, you know I enjoy your company and all but tonight is our last night." Michelle covers her hand over the hand he had on his knee. "Don't you want to, I don't know, make it worth something?" Michelle gently asks.

"I don't see the point of making an effort to make today any different from the rest. It won't change what happens tomorrow." Castiel explains. He sees a flicker of sadness pass through her eyes at his answer. He immediately regrets his answer. She quickly pulls her hand back as if she were burnt his touch.

"For an angel, you're awfully pessimistic." Michelle grumbles. Savoring the truth without alcohol in her system was like a punch to the gut. She turns her head away, water brimming her waterline, feeling foolish. Castiel lips tightens in a line, he stares at the ceiling ashamed at himself. Michelle quickly turns back when the bed dips beneath her. She sees him standing looking back at the door.

"I've upset you. I should go." Castiel robotically states. Michelle grabs his hand, stopping him from disappearing.

"Don't go. Please. At least not yet." Michelle begs him and feebly attempts to pull him back down on the bed. He obediently squats back next to her side. He sat stoically, unable to make conversation in fear of upsetting her any further. Remembering that she was going to thank him before she got drunk on him, she decides now the best time to tell him.

"I haven't had the chance to thank you for everything you've done for us and for humanity." She begins pouring her heart out. Castiel eyes widen slightly at sudden sincerity towards him. Had he not disappointed her only seconds ago? He looked into her almond eyes to undeniably confirm her genuine sentiment.

She wraps her arm behind his neck, letting her hand dangle over his right shoulder. In an aim to hug him from the side, since it'd be too awkward to do a full hug with him sitting next to her. The action pulls their faces closer than she's ever been with him. She distracts herself with her little speech before she drowns in those big, blue eyes.

"Castiel, you've done so much for us. It'd be impossible to repay you for everything that you've risked to fight with us. I can't even put into words how grateful I am to have you on our team." Castiel pressed his lips together, overwhelmed by her words. The weight on his shoulders, he had since he acted in disobedience against heaven, vanishes if only for a moment. Soon enough he relaxes into smile.

With courage she didn't know she had before, Michelle leans towards Castiel to press a light kiss on his cheek. Bold enough to kiss him only an inch away form the corner of his mouth, she pulls back while hoping she didn't cross a line.

"Thank you Castiel."

He flickers his eyes from her face to her lips and back up again. She had every intention of retreating back and going back to friend mode. She did at least until she saw something in his eyes that compelled her to go through with the forbidden act. Michelle leans back into him, staring into his uncertain face. Her ear catches his breath hitch as she pecks the corner of his mouth. She continues to feather him in kisses until she reaches the middle of his mouth. He affectionately runs his hand through her hair. She takes her arm off his shoulder and cups his cheek as she molds her lips firms onto his. He tenderly pulls her against his chest. Hesitant and slow in the beginning, they take their time to savor the moment. Focusing to keep her lips on his, she moves off the bed to sit on his lap. Goosebumps on her skin followed his hand from the base of her neck to where he cradled the back of her neck. He opens his mouth more to taste more of her. She presses her body onto his in response. Castiel groans into her mouth at the friction. He placed his other hand on her thigh, repeatedly rubbing it back and forth. Incredibly turned on Michelle fingers and tugs his hair. He slips in his tongue earning a moan from her. His mouth smirk into hers as she became more and more responsive to him. She pulls back from him to swiftly peel off her tank top. Castiel visibly swallows at the sight of her skin and at the implication of her taking off her clothes.

"Do you really want this?" Castiel's gravel voice halts her from going back to kissing him again. He knew she had never been with a man before, this wasn't something he'd take lightly. She tenderly grabs his face in her hands to make him look directly into her face.

"More than anything." She breathed into his face. Castiel began to spread sweet kisses on her jawline before he works his way his way down her neck. She closes her eyes, enjoying the attention from him and goes back to playing with his hair. As he gets near the middle of her throat, he passionately sucks her neck. Receiving gasps of pleasure from her as he continues down. She slowly grinds down on his crotch, building the heat between them. Castiel is moaning into her skin as he reaches to unclasp her bra.

Before he could manage to get a hold on the clasp, the sound of his phone ringing broke them from their trance. Michelle was the first to pull away, she reached into his trench coat to pull out his mobile for him.

"It's Dean." She quickly hands him the phone, worrying if he was calling about their mission tomorrow. Castiel seemed more bothered by the interruption.

"What is it Dean." He says with a monotone voice. Michelle rests her head on the other side of the phone to listen in. Castiel doesn't do anything to stop her.

"We've decided to go through with the mission at noon. Cas could you do me a favor and pass the message to Michelle? She isn't picking up her phone. She's at the Quincy Motel, room 203." Dean requests.

"I'll let her know." Castiel answers as he darts his eyes to her face, humored by the irony of the situation.

"Uh, before you go in make sure to knock the door. She could have company." Dean awkwardly instructs the angel. He pauses to sigh. "And tell her not to stay up too late, we'll need her at full capacity. Killing Satan isn't going to be as easy as blowing up the Darth Star. "

"I think you mean dwarf star, Dean. There's no such thing as a Darth Star." Castiel bluntly corrects the hunter. Michelle covers her mouth and moves away from the phone, laughing at Castiel's answer. She didn't have to see Dean to know the annoyed look he'd have at Castiel's ignorance to the Star Wars reference.

"Cas. Focus. Relay everything I told you alright?" He commands the angel.

"Of course." Castiel replies before hanging up. Michelle rests her head against his shoulder. The moment had passed. Once again the apocalypse had to ruin everything.

"You heard him, you need to rest for tomorrow." Castiel intertwines his hand with hers as he softly speaks to her.

"No. If I close my eyes, I'll have less time with you." She shakes her head. Castiel affectionately pushes a pieces of hair behind her ears.

"I'm not leaving Michelle." He states before placing a kiss on her forehead.


	2. Chapter 2

The beginning of Smoke on the Water blasts into the room, awakening Michelle from her peaceful sleep. Her eyes flutter open at the intrusive guitar solo playing from her phone. She groans into Castiel's shoulder.

"Make it stop Castiel." She whines, not even bothering to open her eyes.

Castiel chuckles at her childish behavior. He tenderly pets her head before kissing her forehead. He lingers his lips on her for a moment longer. Not wanting her to leave him just yet. He extends his free arm, his other was holding her against his chest, to lazily swipe the phone off the nightstand and stop the alarm.

"Happy?" Castiel asks as he places the phone on the bed. Michelle lifts her head to look at him.

"Mhmm." She pecks his lips. She starts to lift herself off him but is stopped by Castiel wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back to him.

"Castiel!" Michelle giggles at his antics. He smiles brightly at her with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. Her heart accelerates as she looks into his dilated pupils. He takes advantage of her distracted mind and swoops in to press his lips against hers again. They kiss each other longingly for a couple of minutes before her second alarm breaks them apart.

"Okay now I really have to get ready." Michelle successfully pulls away from him this time. Castiel watches her from the bed as she shuffles around the room to pack her bags and pick her clothes for the day. Aware of her watcher, she grabs the discarded blue tie off a chair and flings it at him. Castiel doesn't bother to catch it, letting it hit his chest. He raises his eyebrow at her.

"What? I'm not the only one who needs to get dress. We've got a big day ahead of us." Mic says confidently. She's decided if she's going to die, there is no use in her fearing the unknown.

Castiel opens his mouth to ask her why she was in a rush for them to meet their demise. But he then rationalized he should play along to avoid breaking her spirit. He would hate to bring her any misery in her final moments.

"Don't worry about me. Go tend to your human rituals." Castiel insists. He tries to smile at her encouragingly, except he could only manage a grimace. She warily eyes the angel. Not wanting to ruin the mood, Michelle pretends she can't see past his facade. She chooses to hum into the bathroom instead.

Castiel begins to unfold his clothes and puts it on slowly. There's a knock on the door when he's just managed to dress his bottom half. Castiel halts his progress and steadily walks towards the sound.

"Castiel, wait! Don't open the door." Michelle calls out from the bathroom as she rushes to dress herself.

"It's okay Michelle! It's only Sam and Dean." He yells back at her.

"That's what I was afraid of." Michelle mumbles as she yanks her jeans up to her waist. She knew their reactions if Castiel opened the door in his state of undress. She ran out to grabs his arm and stop him from moving any closer to the door. A flicker of understanding passing through his eyes.

"You do not want them to know I spent the night with you." Castiel said slowly, hurt showing in his eyes. She runs her hand through her hair, stressed. Sam's worried voice calls out her name. This time with urgency.

"Coming!" Michelle yells out, not removing her eyes on his sunken shoulders. She grabs his hand to bring his attention back to her.

"I'm not ashamed of you. It's just I don't want Dean to poking into my private life. If he sees you answering the door like that he's going to assume we had sex and I really don't want to tell him that I'm still a twenty-something year old virgin." Michelle's face flushed. She looked at the floor, not believing the conversation they were having. Castiel cups her chin to lift it back to his face.

"You shouldn't be ashamed for saving your virtue. There are no words that can express how much I treasure you. Knowing that you were willing to give yourself to me last night, it made me feel emotions I didn't know I had." Castiel leans his forehead against hers affectionately.

"If we had more time I'd take you now." Castiel looks into her eyes. For a moment she forgets how to breathe at the intensity she finds him staring at her. Her cheeks burned hot, both at the innocent contact and his intoxicating stare. She takes a deep breath and musters the strength to push the angel out of her bubble.

"Castiel if you're not going to, leave before I tie you to the bed." Michelle averts her eyes back to the door. She hears a chuckle before the whoosh that signals his departure. She runs to open the door.

"A little help guys." She says as she shoves her bags, one filled with her clothes and the other with ammo, in the brother's arms.

"What no hello?" Sam smirks.

"You sure took your sweet time princess." Dean leans in to scan the room. Michelle follows his eyes around the room.

"What?" Michelle asks. She nervously sweats at his lingering glance on the empty bed.

"Nothing, I thought I heard a man's voice." He suggestively wiggles his eyebrows. Sam looks at her expecting an explanation, apparently he heard the voice too.

"I had the TV on." She said deadpanned. "The last thing I need a STD from a stranger."

"Could have asked one of us." Dean nonchalantly shrugs. Michelle's jaw drop at the suggestion. In the last three years that she knew him, this was the last thing she would ever expect to hear come out of his mouth.

"Dude." Sam calls him out. She shakes off her shock and pulls Dean close to her face by his collar. Dean's eyes widen at the unexpected move. She stares back challenging him to make the first move, which he doesn't. She knew he wouldn't, they've known each other for a long time. It'd be too weird.

"You wouldn't be able to handle all of this." Michelle jokes before lightly shoves him back. Without bothering to look at their reactions she brushes past them to reach the car. Sam jogs behind her to catch up.

"Ignore Dean. He's pent up with sexual frustration." Sam apologizes for his older brother as he opens the trunk to store her bag. She raises her eyebrows at the information.

"Jo didn't give it up? Good for her." She leans against the car. "Dean's cute and all but him coming on to her on the last night on Earth feels like a cheap shot."

Sam eyebrows peaked up with interest, she's never commented on their looks before. "So you don't regret not trying it with Dean."

"Nah, between the two of you, you're the sexy one. You would have been my first choice." Michelle winks at him teasingly. Dean walks up from behind them to pack in her last bag into the car. Sam smugly smirks at his older brother. It doesn't go unnoticed.

"What?" Dean asks as he closes the trunk. Sam shakes his head and chuckles. "Nothing."

"Hello." Castiel pops in. Dean and Sam exchange looks of confusion.

"What are you doing here Cas?" Dean challenges the angel. "The plan was we'd go with Michelle and you were supposed to be with Ellen and Jo."

"We're all going to the same location. I'll join them when we get there." Castiel simply states. Sam flickered his eyes to Michelle for a second to see her reaction. Thanks to years of lying to civilians she was able to hold a neutral face. Inside she was ecstatic at the opportunity of having more time together.

"Any reason in particular you wanted to come with us?" Sam pointedly inquired.

"Since I first arrived on Earth, I've had the most fun with you guys. I guess I selfishly wanted to spend a bit more time with you three before we have to meet our demise." He honestly spoke. Dean walks up to Castiel to give him a quick hug with a rough pat on the back.

"You're alright Cas." Dean sadly smiled at friend. Sam, moved by his genuine answer, wraps Castiel in his long arms for a brief, tight embrace.

"Yeah man, we wouldn't be here without you." Sam encouragingly says. Michelle guessed it was her turn to say something to the man in the trench coat. She takes a step towards him, despite not knowing exactly what to say.

"I can't think of any angel, or man, we'd rather save the world with. You're our family Castiel." She offers a bashful smile and extends her arms, awaiting her hug.

Castiel's light eyes soften at her vulnerable state. Instead of wrapping his arms around her back, his hands cradle her waist. He didn't give her time to process this as he lowers his head to kiss her, and show her how much he adored her. His lips softly captures hers. He drags his lips longingly against hers for a short moment. Michelle leans into the kiss, forgetting their surrounding, and responds with desperation for what could be their last kiss. They break apart at Dean's outburst.

"Whoa!" Dean yelps, shocked by angel's action. As far as he knew, romantic feelings didn't exist in Castiel's emotional spectrum.

"Took you two long enough." Sam says as he crossed his arms. Michelle holds on to Castiel and smiles into his chest. He happily squishes her into his tight embrace as he nods in agreement.

Sam was silently rooting for them from the moment he noticed Castiel's obsession over her. Especially in the past weeks, he couldn't put a finger on it but there was a definite shift in their relationship. It was small things that didn't mean anything if he didn't have the context. He caught the subtle glances Michelle would give Castiel when he wasn't looking, and Cas' longing stare that would follow her as she left a room. When Team Free Will took a break from a case, they'd retreat to a corner of the room and momentarily talk quietly to each other. Most of the time Dean would join their conversation after a couple of minutes of drinking beer. On moments where they seemed absolutely content their tiny bubble, Sam would distract Dean from joining them. Hell, even in a crowded room they always seem to gravitate to each other.

"You knew about this?" Dean raises his eyebrow at his brother. The giant shrugged his shoulders.

"Sort of..." Sam vaguely replied.

"A heads up would have been nice." Dean turns to her and roughly messes up her hair as a small act of revenge. The memory of what he suggested earlier at the motel creeps into his mind. He cringed at the thought.

"Feeling awkward Dean?" Michelle teased him. Castiel looks around the hunters in question.

"He was hitting on your girl Cas." Sam explains with a smirk on his face. A spark of irritation appeared on Castiel's face.

"Michelle is an attractive woman so I can't blame you for wanting to be with her romantically." Castiel seriously addresses Dean. "But you should know that I am bound to her indefinitely."

Dean rolled his eyes at the angel.

"Whatever. Let's hit the road." Dean walks around the car to the driver's seat.

The crew take their usual spots with Sam in the shotgun and the couple in the back seat. Castiel grabs her hand and intertwines his fingers with hers. He looks at her adoringly before he presses a kiss on the back of her hand and rests their hands on his leg. She leans her head on his shoulder in complete bliss.

"Hey lovebirds." Dean gets their attention as he fixes the rearview mirror.

"Keep it PG in the backseat, alright?" He jokes as he pulls out of the motel. Michelle shakes her head in disbelief and embarrassment. Castiel makes it worse by asking her what 'keeping it PG' meant. Sam gets a good laugh out of that.


	3. Chapter 3

The eerie silence that looms over the city, like the dark clouds hanging above, sent a shiver down her spine. Every nerve in her body is telling her to run out of town. Since they arrived in Chicago, she hasn't been able to shake off the unsettling presence she feels as she scans the area with the Winchester brothers. Her ears pick up a distant rumble from behind them. Michelle spots the familiar red truck with the other hunters inside. Castiel was nowhere to be seen. She taps Dean on the shoulder to steal his attention from Sam.

"Hey." She tilts her head towards the approaching vehicle. Sam's eyebrows quirk at their appearance.

"Station's empty." Dean informed the girls. Ellen didn't seemed surprised by the news.

"So is everything else." Jo responded. Michelle opened her mouth to ask where Castiel was but Ellen beat her to it.

"Have you seen Cas?" Ellen asked, glancing over them. Michelle crossed her arms at that. What happened to teamwork?

"What? He was with you." Sam argued with a hint of confusion.

"Nope. He went after the reapers." Ellen said pointedly.

"Reapers." Dean repeated, taken back.

"He saw reapers? Where?" Michelle jumped in. It explained why every fiber of her being was screaming for her to flee.

"Well, kind of everywhere." Jo bluntly answered.

Sam briefly explained the plan the three had formulated while checking the station. They agreed that walking on foot was their best bet to catching the devil. He told the mother and daughter to park so they could start their hunt. Michelle stopped Ellen as she exited the vehicle.

"Where did you last see Castiel?" She asked Ellen. The experienced hunter looked at her up and down, assessing how serious she is about going on a wild goose chase after the angel.

"No." Sam commands. "Letting your emotions cloud your mind is going to get you killed. You have a better chance if you stick with us. We're bound to run into him later." She turns around to face him.

"Sam, we lost the angel we had up our sleeve. Someone has to go and get him. Besides he's interviewing reapers, he won't be anywhere near Lucifer." Michelle tries to reason with him. Jo and Ellen stay quiet as they watch the exchange.

"Dean, help me out man." Sam pleads with his brother. Dean sighs.

"I don't know Sam. Maybe she's right." He scratched the back of his head.

"You've got to be kidding me." Sam huffed.

"Cas is the only move we have to even the playing field. Without him, we're hoping for a miracle." Dean bluntly states. Ellen decides she's heard enough and speaks up.

"We last saw him at our meeting spot. Across the street there's an old brick apartment, he was staring into one of the windows on the fifth floor. I'm not sure if that's where he poofed to, but it's something." Ellen hands her the keys and pulls her into brief hug in case they find Lucifer first. Michelle is only a couple of years older than Jo, she could as well have been her daughter.

"Give him hell for not sticking to the plan and making us worry." She tersely says. Ellen sidesteps onto the sidewalk, standing by Jo's side. Jo waves at Michelle, not as worried as her mother, she's confident they'll meet up again soon enough. Sam stays mute, upset by the turn of events.

"Take care of yourself kid." Dean tells her as she puts the key in the ignition. She gives him a thumbs up before driving off.

It was relatively easy to find Castiel. While roaming the fifth floor, she noticed the closer she approached a certain room, the colder it became. Weird. She's certain she's never read anything about reapers changing the temperature in a room. Michelle straightens her back wary of any rogue ghosts that might be lurking in the hallway as she approaches the source. This particular room has the door open halfway, almost inviting her in for a visit. She shimmied into the apartment making sure she doesn't touch the door. The building is relatively old so she's certain the door would have loudly creaked, giving away her location.

A velvet, masculine voice could be heard from the barely lit room on her right. She couldn't see much from where she's hiding in the dark living room. If she had to guess it could be lit by a fireplace or candles. She stealthily approaches the door and presses her back on the wall next to the entrance. Michelle scrunches her eyebrows, thinking about the mysterious man. He had to be a demon since she could hear him. She closely listens to his walking pattern to find the perfect moment to look in and assess the situation. Either Castiel is trying to extract information from this demon, or he's in a ring of holy fire. She isn't going to be the reason he would lose a lead on Lucifer.

"We're on the same side, like it or not. So why not just serve your own best interests which in this case, just happen to be mine? " The silky voice continues to speak.

"I'll die first." Castiel's gravel voice bites back. Realizing the other man in the room has stopped moving and has his back turned against her, she peers into the room. Her suspicions were correct, Castiel's standing in a holy fire ring at the other man's mercy. She reaches into her jacket to pull out a flask of holy water and slowly begins to unscrew it. Luckily, the man's shoulder covers her from Castiel's line of vision so she could have the element of surprise.

"I supposed you will." The blond man moves to walk again. Michelle decides it's now or never. She runs inside to throw holy water at his face. The man lazily waves his hand as he breaks into a sinister chuckle. Her body is hurled into the brick wall.

"No!" Castiel yells as he struggles against the holy fire. She groans as she spits up blood, she shifts her eyes to Castiel. His eyes were filled with remorse and anger. The sight pains her, she forces herself to look back at the demon.

"Holy water, really?" The demon taunts her. Realization sinks into her as she replays what she heard him tell Castiel. 'We're on the same side', echoed in her mind. Seeing the gears turn in her mind, he raises his eyebrow waiting for the inevitable.

"Lucifer." She whispers in horror. Her eyes widen at the revelation. She takes in his presence in for the first time. He wasn't crimson and there were no horns or tail like the media portrays him. Not that she believed he would appear that way, but she had expected him to have some underworld sinister features on him. But here, he's a relatively attractive blond man with an average physique. The only strange feature on him is the burn marks on either side of his forehead. What his appearance did not show, she certainly felt his cruel nature in his aura.

"Ah yes, and there it is." Lucifer points at her face. Michelle flinches at the innocent gesture.

"At least you were able to provide some comic relief. Castiel here is rather dry." He playfully states as he closes in on her.

"But I suppose you already know that." Lucifer said curiously as his eyes squint at a new discovery. She scrambles to stand up, only to manage Lucifer shoving her into the wall with his hands this time.

"Don't touch her! It's me you want. She has no use for you." Castiel shouts with his fists turned white from the pressure he's used to clench them. Ignoring the other angel in the room, Lucifer pins her against the wall. Fear has Michelle frozen with her shaking pupils locked staring into Lucifer's cold orbs. She wishes she was back in bed with Castiel at the motel. The memory snaps her out of her panic state. She'd rather kill herself than stand here like a cattle waiting for its slaughter. The hunter uses all her energy to push him off of her, it doesn't work but it was a start. His stoic expression changes into an amused smirk.

"Slumming it like Gabriel are we?" Lucifer turns his head to the other angel in the room. He looked Castiel up and down.

"I didn't pin you as a closet freak Castiel, but then again it's always the quiet ones." He returns his attention back to her. After analyzing the situation, she decides staying silent would increase her chances of surviving. At least until the other hunters find them.

"If I'm being honest, and I always am. You freaks have made me curious about this whole interspecies relationship thing. What is it about this cockroach that makes her so appealing to you?" He leans into her personal space, almost nose to nose. Defiant, she turns her head away from him. He roughly grabs her chin, to the point of bruising her, to snap it back to him. She struggles against him.

"At least, it's a step up from those pagan gods." Lucifer shakes his head in disgust at the memory of Gabriel defending the Hindu god.

"Lucifer, we can talk about this. There's no need to involve the human in angel affairs." Castiel attempts to reason with him. Lucifer tilts his head back to lazily glance at him.

"She became involved the moment you had feelings for her little brother. Castiel you're the one who's damned her, not me." He simply states. Castiel opens his mouth to argue but is silenced by the snap of Lucifer's fingers. He touches his throat at the absence of his voice.

"Ah, that's better." He rotates back to her, practically breathing on her because their close proximity. Michelle resists squirming away from him, knowing it would only give him pleasure.

"Michelle right?" Lucifer innocently inquires. She takes one last glimpse at the empty doorway, accepting the possibility that she might have to save herself.

"You'd be right." Michelle says slowly as she brews up a couple of escape plans in her head. He moves forward lips almost brushing against hers.

"Tell me why you are deserving of an angel's attention." He demands in a low voice. She stares at him, not backing down.

"I don't, but it's not about what rightfully belongs to me, him, or any angel. It's about what we're willing to fight for in the name of God's greatest gift, love." He scoffs at her cheesy answer.

"When you disobeyed your father it wasn't because of what you felt the angels deserved. It was because you loved him too much. You couldn't stand the thought of sharing him with flawed creatures like me." Michelle defended her point. Lucifer grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet. She kicked her feet wildly in the air as she chocked on the lack of air.

"Interesting argument." Lucifer calmly says looking at her curiously.

"However, you should watch that pretty mouth of yours you filthy little slut." He menacingly whispered into her ear. She claws at his hand, making it bleed all over his wrist. He doesn't react to the violent act. After a couple of minutes he lets go. Her lungs burn as she takes long breathes to return oxygen into her body.

"I can sort of see why he digs you. You're quite attractive when you're breathless. If you know what I mean." Lucifer smirks at her suffering.

"Maybe I'll make you carry the antichrist." He says undecidedly. Lucifer painfully yanks her up on her feet. He twists her arm behind her back to force her to face Castiel with him behind her.

"What do you think Castiel? Do you think she'd be a good mother?" He taunts his brother while he kisses her neck.

Angry tears brim her waterline, repulsed she tries to thrash out of his strong hold. Castiel's veins in his heck become visible as the clear hatred that boiled inside him peaks. There was a storm that brewed in his hard, unforgiving eyes. Lucifer laughs at the display.

"Because I'm such a good brother I'm going to do you a solid." He stops playing with Castiel and snaps his fingers again.

"You'll leave her alone?" Castiel roughly asked.

"I'm going to kill her for you. I can't have you running the angel's name through the mud with this human." Lucifer smiles at him. Her eyes widened as Lucifer uses her own knife to stab her through the chest.

"NO!" Castiel bellows.

This is it. This is the end.

"I love you Castiel!" Michelle cries out. She had to let him know. He needed to know.

His red eyes pools invisible tears, heartbreak tore him up from the inside. He falls onto his knees as he watches a ghost of a smile appear on her face before the light from her eyes flickers out. Lucifer drops her corpse and walks around it to continue their conversation. Castiel didn't look away from his human the whole time.

Sorrow etched into each of the hunter's faces, they stand over the fire as Dean throws the photograph into its flames. Sam turned to observe Castiel. He was drinking Bobby's strongest whiskey as if he was drinking water. The angel had a lost and anguish look in his eye. The few moments he had acknowledged anyone in the room it was with a nod or simple body gesture. Castiel hadn't spoken since they burned Michelle's body.

Sam would never forget the image of Castiel carrying her limp body in his arms. He gingerly held her blood stained body, like she were made of glass, as he walked towards them. The angel kept looking at her face adoringly yet with so much heartbreak in his eyes. Angels couldn't cry but Dean told him later on that he's sure they've seen the closest thing to it. Castiel briefly glossed over her death, the hunters didn't push him for a full account. It was quite obvious he blamed himself and this would most likely scar him for a long time. For the ceremony Castiel had cleaned her up and dressed her in a modest, white dress with small sunflowers braided in her hair. He said they were her favorite. Dean visibly swallowed at the gesture, it reminded him of his father at their mother's ceremony. Bobby was shook by how natural the act came to Castiel, it was too human. When it came time to set her inside of the wooden case they'd burn her in, Castiel reluctantly laid her in the casket but not before he whispered some Enochian words in her ear and kissed her forehead. Sam didn't know Enochian but was sure it was along the lines of 'I love you'.

The impala's engine rumbles as Dean speeds into the night. His conversation with Castiel has taken a sour turn at the mention of Castiel's return to Heaven.

"You're angry." Castiel observes as he stares at Dean's rigid face.

"That's an understatement." Dean tersely states.

"He helped." The angel speaks up again. Dean scoffs at him.

"Maybe even more than we realize." He continues, hoping to sway Dean.

"That's easy for you to say. He brought you back." The Winchester begins to argue. Castiel openly stares at him, disbelieving the words coming out of his mouth.

"But what about Sam? What about me, huh?" Dean flickers his eyes from Castiel to the road, pushing his point. Unable to bear his words, Castiel looks out the side window.

"Where's my grand prize? All I got is my brother in a hole." Castiel's steel orbs return to Dean's bitter face.

"What about Michelle, Dean? God didn't bring her back either!" Castiel snaps at Dean. He exhales the air inside his lungs to calm himself. "She's part of the reason I'm going to fix Heaven. This is the only way I can see her again."

"That's not what I meant. Hell, I loved her too." Dean sighs. Castiel nods, accepting what he knew was the closest thing Dean could come to an apology.

"You got what you asked for Dean. No paradise, no hell. Just more of the same." He stuns Dean into silence.

"I mean it Dean what would you rather have peace or freedom?" Castiel breaks it down for him to process. Dean ponders over his words before turning back to Castiel with an answer. He finds himself alone in the car,

"Well you really suck at goodbyes, you know that?" Dean talks to the empty spot next to him.

"From all this crap, at least someone will be happy." He murmurs to himself as he recalls Michelle's and Castiel's passionate kiss from months ago. It was the happiest and the most normal he had seen either of them be. Dean hoped he could find the same with Lisa as he sped down the abandoned highway.

Castiel looked around, unsure if he finally found the right one, this one was located in Paris. Michelle's never been to France, but he knew of her fascination with traveling to other countries. There was a slim chance it could be hers. This would have been so much easier if Lucifer hadn't mentioned to the other angels about his love affair with a human. A cluster of angels had hid any trace of Michelle's heaven and made it almost impossible to find. His only option now was to visit each heaven one by one and pray that the next one will be hers. If he had to guess how many he's already visited, he'd say around four hundred thousand heavens.

Castiel scanned the crowded grounds in front of the Eiffel tower. He could sense the creator of this Heaven was close. He stopped looking around when he spotted her picnicking underneath a tree. Michelle was resting against the tree as she eating a croissant with one hand as and reading a book with the other. As if she sensed someone staring, she put down her book after she took the last bite of her lunch. They made eye contact almost immediately after she stood up.

Castiel froze, he wanted more than anything to go to her but felt shame wash over him at the memory of her death. Would she want him anymore? He was the reason she was dead.

His doubt dwindled to nothing at the image of her sprinting towards him with the look utter happiness on her face. She threw her arms around him, sobbing.

"Castiel, I missed you so much." She said nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck. He closed his eyes, inhaling her forgotten scent, overwhelmed with emotion. After a couple of minutes of them holding on to each other for dear life, she pulled away from him to look into the blue eyes she loved.

"Now it's a perfect ending." Michelle caressed his cheek lovingly. Castiel put his hand over her hand, not removing his gaze from her beautiful face.

"No, it's a perfect beginning." He says before giving her a chaste kiss. She opened her eyes when she heard the absence of children laughing in the background. They were outside the motel room they stayed at the night before the whole Lucifer search party.

"We never did get to finish." Castiel awkwardly jokes in a way that made Michelle burst out laughing.

"You really don't waste time. I think Dean's rubbed off on you." She runs her hand through her hair as she tries not to seem flustered by Castiel's new forwardness. She wondered what else had changed about him during the time they were apart.

"But you're not complaining." He takes a predatory step towards her. Her heart races at the desire that darkened his eyes.

"Hell no." Michelle confidently says, not wanting to wait any longer either.

"Good." Castiel captures her mouth in his in a needy kiss that makes her knees weak. She breaks away from the kiss when she feels her feet lift off from the ground.

Realization dawned on her as he walked through the threshold of the door while carrying her in his arms. Michelle began to tear up at how sweet he was. She knew they could never marry because he was an angel and she was a human. The gesture alone showed her that in his heart he already considered her his wife.

"Is something wrong?" Castiel asked with concern etched on his face at her sudden tears. She shakes her head.

"No, I just love you so much." Michelle lightly pecks his lips. He stares at her longingly as he lays her down on the bed.

"I love you too." Castiel whispers in her ear as he climbs over her. They had eternity to make up for lost time. And they intended to just do that.


End file.
